science project booklet biology 2019 · science project – biology class do not be overwhelmed by...

ScienceProjectPacket

Biology

Detailedinstructionsoncompletingyourscienceproject

Mrs.BeckyHollisPEPTutor

904-465-2791bhollis.pep@gmail.com

2

ScienceProject–BiologyClassDonotbeoverwhelmedbythesizeofthispacket.Yes,youwillbecompletingalargeprojectwithmanycomponents,butwewillbebreakingitupintomanageablepieceswithlotsofguidancealongtheway.Thispacketisdesignedtobearesourceandtogiveyouagameplan.Takeitonestepatatimeandyou’llbeamazedathowmuchyouaccomplish.Eachoftheitemslistedonthefollowingscheduleisalsolistedonyourclasssyllabus.Inthefollowingpagesyouwillfinddetailedinstructionsforeachsection.Wewillalsobediscussingtheseitemsinclass.Asyousubmiteachcomponent,itwillbegivenbacktoyouwithnotesforimprovementorsuggestionstotry.Untilwegettothefinalpaperandpresentation,allassignmentswillreceiveasimplepass/failgrade.Sincethescienceprojectcountsas20%ofyourgradeduringthefirsttwoquarters,youwillwanttobesureyousubmitalltherequiredcomponents.Allsubmissionsshouldbetype-writtenandlabeled.Youwillbecompletingtheprojectinsectionsbutattheend,youwillcombineallthesectionsintoonefinalpaper.Thiswillbemucheasiertodoifallyourinformationisstoredinyourcomputer(andbackedupsomewhere).Waittopurchaseyourmaterialsforyourexperimentationuntilafteryouhavecompletedyourresearchandfinalizedthedesignforyourexperiment.Manystudentsfindthattheymakeseveralchangesduringthisprocess.YouwillbeaskedtogiveanoralpresentationofyourprojectjustpriortoChristmasbreak.Youwillcreateatri-foldbackboardtouseinthispresentation.Ifyoulike,youmaygoaheadandpurchasethebackboard,butIencourageyouwaittoputittogetheruntilafteryouhavecompletedallyourexperimentationandcometoyourfinalconclusions.Aboveall,havefunwiththeproject.Ican’twaittoseewhatyoucomeupwith!

3

2019ScheduleforScienceProject–Biology9/05/19 IdeaDue;ResearchBegins

ReadChoosingYourScienceProjectTopic–pg5Youaretosubmitapieceofpaperwithyournameandyourtopicchoice.Tellmewhatquestionyouaregoingtoanswerandtellmewhyyouchosethistopic.(“Itlookedeasy.”Or“Itlookedfun”arenotgoodreasons.)Thisshouldbeatleastonegoodparagraph.

9/17/19 Submitatleast4sourcesforyourresearch.Read–ScienceProjectResearch–pg6Youaretosubmitalistofyourresources(youwillbesubmittingthisinWorksCitedformatlater).Remember-youwillneedtostartwithatleastfoursources–andnotallfromtheinternet.Wikipediaisnotavalidsource.

9/24/19 Submit4paragraphsonyourresearchthusfarStartyourWorksCitedpage(turninacopy)Read–FourResearchParagraphsandCitingYourSources–pgs7-9Youaretosubmitfourwell-writtenparagraphsontheresearchyouhavedonethusfar,includeyourWorksCitedpage–thistimeinproperWorksCitedformat.

10/01/19 SubmityourhypothesisSubmitexperimentdesignideas(roughdraft)Read–HypothesisandDesigningYourExperiment–pg10Writeaparagraphcontainingyourhypothesis.And,onaseparatepieceofpaperwriteoutthedetailsofyourexperiment.Besuretolabelbothpapers.

10/08/19 Submit2pagesonresearchRead–TwoPagesofResearch–pg12Submittwofullpagesontheresearchyouhavecompletedaboutotherscientistsandtheirworkintheareaofyourproject.NOTE:Thisisinadditiontoyourfourparagraphsfrombefore.Submittingthisportionoftheassignmentdoesnotcountastwoassignments.Ifyousubmittedtwopagespreviously,youwillneedtoresubmitthemagainonthisdatewithanyimprovementsyoumayhavemade.

10/15/19 FormalsubmissionofexperimentdesignExperimentationbeginsathomeRead–FormalSubmissionofExperimentDesignandExperimentation–pg13Submittheformalwrite-upofyourexperimentationprocess.Thiscanstillbetweakedasyouworkthroughyourexperimentbutbeasdetailedandasaccurateaspossible.And,beginworkingathomeonyourexperiment,trackingresultsasyougo.

4

10/22/19 OneparagraphintroducingyourprojectRead–Introductoryparagraph–pg14Submitawellwrittenparagraphintroducingyourproject.Hookyourreader.

10/29/19 BringinexperimentationresultstodateRead–ExperimentResults–pg15Submityourdatatodateandifyou’reready,goaheadanddesignacharttohelpexplainyourdata.Bytheway–thischartwillalsobegoingonyourbackboard.

11/12/19 Writeupyourfinalexperimentresults.Includetables/charts/graphs,etc.Writeyourconclusionandreallifeapplication.ReadFinalExperimentResultsandInterpretation–pg16Submityourfinalexperimentresultswithchartsandgraphs.Alsowriteyourconclusionandwhetheryourhypothesiswascorrect.Finallyaddatleasttwoparagraphstellinghowyourresultscanbeusedinreallife.

11/21/19 FirstDraftofFinalPaperRead-ScienceProjectPaper–pgs17-18Note–therearesectionsaddedtothepaperthathavenotbeendiscussedyet.Theyarequiteeasytoadd.Justfollowtheinstructions.Mostsectionshavealreadybeencompleted,soit’sjustamatterofcuttingandpasting,thencheckingtobesurethepaperflowswell.ITISIMPORTANTTHATYOUSUBMITTHEDRAFTONTIME!Iwillbedoingonelastread-throughandaddingnotesovertheThanksgivingholidaysothatIcanreturnthepapertoyouforcompletionassoonaswereturntoclass.Afterthat,youwillonlyhaveoneweektoturnaroundthefinalcopy.Pleasedonote-mailittome.Ineedthehardcopy.

12/10/19 FinalPaperDue–NOEXCEPTIONS!!GroupAPresentationswithbackboardRead–BackboardDesign–pgs19-20Becausewebeginpresentations–ALLpapersmustbesubmittedtoday.Nolateworkwillbeaccepted.Yourbackboardwillnotbesubmitteduntilthedayofyourpresentation.

12/12/19 GroupAScienceProjectPresentationswithbackboard

12/17/19 GroupBScienceProjectPresentationswithbackboard

12/19/19 GroupCScienceProjectPresentationswithbackboard

Seepage21foracopyofthefinalscoringsheet.

5

ChoosingYourScienceProjectTopic

BiologyThissemesteryouwillbeworkingonascienceproject.Itwillinvolve

• Research• Experimentation• Interpretationofdata• Conclusion• Reallifeapplication

Youwillthensubmitallofyourinformationinacompletedresearchpaper,somewhereintheneighborhoodof15to18pages,andwillmakeanoralpresentationtotheclassinDecembercompletewithbackboard.Thismaysoundabitoverwhelming,butwe’llbedoingitinsteps.Aslongasyoukeepontheschedulesetforyou,youwon’tfindyourselfcrammingbetweenThanksgivingandChristmastogetallofthisworkdone.Thefirststepischoosingyourtopic.And,franklythisisgoingtorequirealittlethoughtandresearch.Firstofall,makeitinterestingandfun.Whowantsaboringprojecttoworkonallsemester?Second,askaquestion.Whatisitthatyouwanttodiscover?Doyouwanttocompareproducts?Areyouinterestedinwhatmakesplantsgrowtaller?Whyisitthatyourdentisttellsyounottodrinksoda?Trytothinkofthecost,materialsandtimeneededtodotheexperiment.Besureitissomethingyoucandowithinthesemester–testinghowvariousfertilizersaffectthegrowthofoaktreeswilltaketoolong.And,youwillhavetodoMULTIPLEteststoseeifyougetthesameresultseachtimeyourepeattheprocess.Choosesomethingyoucanrealisticallydo.Ifyouarenotallowedtousethechainsaw,anexperimentdesignedtofind“themostcost-effectivechainsaw”isoutofthequestion.Itmustalsobesomethingforwhichyoucanfindgoodresearch–inotherwords,somethingthathasprobablyalreadybeendoneanddocumented.Theresearchportionofyourpaperwilltakeupatleasttwoorthreepages.Youwanttobesureyoucanfindenoughinformationtoadequatelymakeyourpoint.Youwillbecompletingthisbeforeyoustartyourexperimentation.Andlastly,itmustbesomethingthathasa“real-life”application.Onceyouhaveconductedyourproject,youmustbeabletotellushowtheinformationyoulearnedcanbeused.YourprojectdoesnotnecessarilyhavetodealwithBiologytopics.Ifyouneedhelpwithideas,youcanGoogle“ScienceFairProjectIdeas”-orcheckoutthesesites:

www.education.com/science-fair/www.sciencebuddies.orgwww.all-science-fair-projects.com

Youaretosubmitapieceofpaperwithyournameandyourtopicchoice.Tellmewhatquestionyouaregoingtoanswerandtellmewhyyouchosethistopic.(“Itlookedeasy.”Or“Itlookedfun”arenotgoodreasons.)Thisshouldbeatleastonegoodparagraph.

6

ScienceProjectResearch

Beforeyoucanwriteyourpaperordesignyourexperiment,youneedtoconductyourresearch.Youwillwanttoanswerthesequestions(andanyothersyoumayhave):! Whatscientistshavedonesimilarresearch?! Whatexperimentshavebeenorarepresentlybeingperformed?! Whatweretheresults?! Whatscientificprinciplesapplytoyourproject?Youwillbewritingatleasttwopagesonsomeoneelse’sresearchforthesubjectyouhavechosen.Youwillalsoformulateyourhypothesisbasedonwhatyoulearninthisstep.Asyouresearch,besuretonarrowthescopeofyourproject.“Doplantsgrowtallerinlightordark?”istoobroadofaquestion.Youneedtoidentifyaspecificplantaswellasthetypeoflightyouwillbeworkingwith.KeepalistofALLthesourcesyouhaveused.StartbuildingyourWorksCitedpageforyourpaperwiththisinformation.Followtheinstructionsonyour“CitingYourSources”informationpage–orgotohttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ItisalsookaywithmeifyouuseaBibliography(WorksCited)creationwebsitesuchaswww.easybib.com.Note–WikipediaisnotavalidsourceasitisOpenSourcemeaningthatanyonecanpostanyinformationtheywant,however,ifyoulookatthebottomofaWikipediaarticleonyoursubject,youmayuseanysourceslistedtheretoaidinyourresearch.Atleastoneofyoursourcesmustbeanon-internetsource.Youwillcontinuetoaddtothislistasyouworkonyourprojectandfindthatfurtherresearchisrequired.YourofficialWorksCitedfirstdraftisduelaterinthemonth.Readthroughyourresourcescarefullyandtakegoodnotesoninformationthatisrelevanttoyourproject.

Youaretosubmitalistofyourresourcesshortlyafteryoudecideonaprojecttopic–thenyouwillresubmitthelistasaWorksCitedpageafewweekslater.Remember-youwillneedtostartwithatleastfoursources–andnotallfromtheinternet.

7

FourResearchParagraphsThispartoftheassignmentgetsusstartedwithyourresearchpaper.Nowthatyouhavehadtimetoreadabout(andtakenoteson)otherpeople’sresearch,submitthestartofyourresearchsectionintheformoffourwell-writtenparagraphs.Thisisnotnecessarilysupposedtobeoneparagraphperresource–especiallyifyoujusttellmethesameinformationfourtimesandquotefourdifferentsources.Thisisthestartoftheresearchsectionofyourpaper–sowritefourparagraphsaboutyourresearch,makingitflow.Youmayhavediscoveredthatnotalltheresourcesyougatheredcontainedanabundanceofinformationonyourtopic.Ifnot,it’stimetoexpandyourresearch.Eveniftheoriginalsourcesareallgood,continuetoaddtoyourinvestigation.Themoreinformationyouhavetoworkwith,theeasieritwillbetowriteyourpaperanddesignaworkableexperiment.Itisalsopossiblethatbynowyouhavediscoveredthatthisisnotreallytheprojecttopicyouwerehopingthatitwas.Nowisagoodtimetochangetopicsifyou’dlike.Justkeepmepostedonwhatyou’redoing.Ifyou’rechangingtopics,youwillneedtosubmitanupdatedlistofresourcesalongwithyourfourparagraphs.(Doyouseewhywespreadthisoutoverseveralweeks?)☺Seethenextsectionforinformationoncitingyoursources.

Youaretosubmitfourwell-writtenparagraphsontheresearchyouhavedonethusfar,includeyourWorksCitedpage–thistimeinproperWorksCitedformat.

8

CitingYourSources

Note–themajorityofthisinformationistakenfromTheOWL(OnlineWritingLab)atPerdue:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/YoumayusetheBedfordHandbook,Writer’sInc.oranyothergoodresourcethatyouhavetohelpyoucitesources.Itisimportantthatyougivepropercredittoyourresources.Apaperwithoutpropercitationissubjecttothechargeofplagiarism.Ifyouuseadirectquotationorifyousubstantiallyrepeatanideafromanothersource,youaretocreditthatsource.Putquotationmarksaroundadirectquote.Attheendoftheinformationyouarecreditingputaoneortwowordcitationwithinparentheses.YouwillgivecompleteresourceinformationattheendonyourWorksCitedpage.Note:WorksCitedandBibliographyarethesamething.Forexample,ifyouquotefromanarticlewrittenbyDr.CharlesAlexander,youwillput(Alexander)attheendofthestatementinthebodyofyourpaper.Ifyouuseasourcethatdoesnothaveanauthor,pickafewwordsthatwilleasilyidentifyyoursource.Ex.(JetPropulsionLaboratory).Ifyouhavemorethanonesourcefromthesameauthor,addmoreidentifyinginformationwithinthepaper.Ex.(Alexander,March2008).Ifyouarequotingfromabook,includethepagenumber.Ex.(Alexander157).

BasicRules

• BeginyourWorksCitedpageonaseparatepageattheendofyourresearchpaper.Itshouldhavethesameone-inchmarginsandlastname,pagenumberheaderastherestofyourpaper.

• LabelthepageWorksCited(donotunderlinethewordsWorksCitedorputtheminquotationmarks)andcenterthewordsWorksCitedatthetopofthepage.

• Doublespaceallcitations,butdonotskipspacesbetweenentries.• Indentthesecondandsubsequentlinesofcitationsfivespacessothatyoucreateahanging

indent.You’llfind‘hangingindentation’asoneofyouroptionsforparagraphformattinginyourWordprogram.

• Listpagenumbersofsourcesefficiently,whenneeded.Ifyourefertoajournalarticlethatappearedonpages225through250,listthepagenumbersonyourWorksCitedpageas225-50.

• Ifyou'recitinganarticleorapublicationthatwasoriginallyissuedinprintformbutthatyouretrievedfromanonlinedatabase,youshouldprovideenoughinformationsothatthereadercanlocatethearticleeitherinitsoriginalprintformorretrieveitfromtheonlinedatabase(iftheyhaveaccess).

CapitalizationandPunctuation

• Capitalizeeachwordinthetitlesofarticles,books,etc,butdonotcapitalizearticles,shortprepositions,orconjunctionsunlessoneisthefirstwordofthetitleorsubtitle:GonewiththeWind,TheArtofWar,ThereisNothingLefttoLose

9

• Useitalicsorunderliningfortitlesoflargerworks(books,magazines)andquotationmarksfortitlesofshorterworks(poems,articles)

ListingAuthorNames

Entriesarelistedbyauthorname(or,forentireeditedcollections,editornames).Authornamesarewrittenlastnamefirst;middlenamesormiddleinitialsfollowthefirstname:

Burke,KennethLevy,DavidM.Donotlisttitles(Dr.,Sir,Saint,etc.)ordegrees(PhD,MA,DDS,etc.)withnames.Abooklistinganauthornamed"JohnBigbrain,PhD"appearssimplyas"Bigbrain,John";do,however,includesuffixeslike"Jr."or"II."Puttingitalltogether,aworkbyDr.MartinLutherKing,Jr.wouldbecitedas"King,MartinLuther,Jr.,"withthesuffixfollowingthefirstormiddlenameandacomma.

MorethanOneWorkbyanAuthor

Ifyouhavecitedmorethanoneworkbyaparticularauthor,ordertheentriesalphabeticallybytitle,andusethreehyphensinplaceoftheauthor'snameforeveryentryafterthefirst:

• Burke,Kenneth.AGrammarofMotives.• ---.ARhetoricofMotives.

Whenanauthororcollectioneditorappearsbothasthesoleauthorofatextandasthefirstauthorofagroup,listsolo-authorentriesfirst:

• Heller,Steven,ed.TheEducationofanE-Designer.• Heller,StevenandKarenPomeroy.DesignLiteracy:UnderstandingGraphicDesign.

WorkwithNoKnownAuthor

Alphabetizeworkswithnoknownauthorbytheirtitle;useashortenedversionofthetitleintheparentheticalcitationsinyourpaper.Inthiscase,BoringPostcardsUSAhasnoknownauthor:

• Baudrillard,Jean.SimulacraandSimulations.• BoringPostcardsUSA.• Burke,Kenneth.ARhetoricofMotives.

AdditionalSources

• ForinformationoncitingBooks,gotohttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/06/• ForinformationoncitingPeriodicals,gotohttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/07/• ForinformationoncitingElectronicSources,goto

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/

10

YourHypothesis

Nowthatyouhavespentsometimewithyourresearch,youshouldhaveformulatedanideainyourheadabouthowthisprojectwillturnout.Ahypothesisisaneducatedguessabouttheresultsyouexpecttoseefromyourexperimentation.Writeseveralsentencesaboutwhatyouexpecttoseeafteryouhaveconductedyourownexperimentation.Besuretotelluswhyyouexpecttoseetheseresults.Wewillbeexpandingthistoafullparagraphasweworkoncompletingyourpaper–sothemoreinformationyouhavenow,thebetter.

DesigningYourExperimentBeforeyoustartwiththefunstuff,i.e.,theactualhands-onexperiment,youwillneedtowriteyourplanoutonpaper.RememberthatthisisNOTademonstration–thisisanexperimenttotestsomething.Youwillhaveaskedaquestionandnowyouneedtodeterminehowtogetananswertoyourquestion.Forexample–whichbatteryislongerlasting,orhowfastwillchipsgostaleifthebagisleftopen?BTW–you’llalsoneedtodefinewhatitmeanstobe‘stale’.Thinkofwaysthatyoucantestyourideas.Youcanwriteoutyourexperimentprocessinparagraphformatorinalist,butyouwillneedtobesuretoincludethefollowingdetails:

• Materialsthatyouwillneed.Includesizesorbrandnamesifthat’simportant.Alwayslisttheamounts(usingthemetricsystemofcourse).

• Thestep-by-stepprocessyouwillfollowtosetupandruntheexperiment.• Howlongyouthinkitwilltaketoconducttheexperiment.Youhaveapproximatelyfourweeks

tocompleteyourexperimentsoyou’llneedtostaywithinthistimeframe.• Detailsonhowyouwillmonitortheexperiment’sprogress.

Ifyouneedtodesignaformorchart,pleasesubmitthatwithyourdesign.Sketchesarealsogreatiftheyhelpexplainyouridea.Let’stalkalittlebitaboutvariablesandcontrols.IfI’mtestingforwhichbatterylastslonger,Ineedtohaveseveralbatterybrands.Thesearemyvariables.BUTwhatifItestoneofeachbatterybutunknowntometheDuracellbatterywasadudtostartwith.IsthatfairtoDuracell?Tobecertainofmyresults,Ishouldusemorethanoneofeachtypeofbrand.Infact,ideallyIshoulduseatleasttenofeachtypeandtakeanaverage.Thiscangetcostlythough–sothreeofeachtypewouldbeacceptable.Exposethemalltotheexactsametest.Ifyouputoneinaflashlightandoneinatoycar,youwon’treallyknowwhichonehasthemoststayingpoweraseachdevicedrainsabatteryatadifferentrate.Or–whatifIwanttodetermineifcoffeehelpsplantsgrow?Fromthefirstexample,youshouldnowrealizethatwewouldneedseveralplantstotestthiswith,justincasewegetaplantthathassomethingelsewrongwithit.Inthiscase,thecoffeeisourvariable.So…howdoweknowifcoffeeisagoodorabadthingforplants?We’dneedtotestitagainsthowplantsnormallygrow–thatis,withwater.Water

11

wouldbeourcontrol.Again,ideallyyouwouldneedmanyplantsthatyougivewatertoandmanyplantsthatgetcoffee.KeepALLplantsinthesameareaandgivethemequalamountsofeachliquid.Inotherwords–theonlyvariableshouldbethetypeofliquidthattheyarereceiving.Controlasmanyfactorsasyoucansothattheresultsareonlyaboutthequestionyouareasking.Ifyouaretestingsomethingthatcanbesubjective–likewhichtastesbest,CokeorPepsi–thisisanopiniontest.Youwillneedatleast100teststomakethisanaccurateexperiment.

Bytheway–anexperimentthatjustasksforapreferencebetweentwoproductsiskindofboring.Addsomemoredetailssuchasageorgender.Getcreative!

Inyourexperimentdesign,makeitclearhowyouwillkeepcontrolofallthefactorsinyourexperimentsothatyouaretrulytestingonlythevariable.

Sidenote–ifyou’reworkingwithplants,besuretogetsomethingthatgrowsrapidly.Limabeansareagoodscienceprojectplant.

Writeaparagraphcontainingyourhypothesis.And,onaseparatepieceofpaperwriteoutthedetailsofyourexperiment.Besuretolabelbothpapers.

12

Two-ThreePagesofResearchYouwillhavereceivedsomenotesbackfrommewhenyouwroteyouroriginalfourparagraphsonyourresearch.Youwillalsohavehadtimetocontinueresearchingasyoudraftedyourhypothesisandexperimentdesign.Nowisthetimetoexpandyouroriginalfourparagraphsintoatleasttwofullpagesofresearch.ThissectiondoesNOTcontainanyinformationontheprojectyouaredesigning.Remember–itisresearchaboutwhatothershavedoneONLY.Alsonotethattwofullpagesmeansjustthat.Ifyoustartaboutfourinchesfromthetopofyourfirstpagebecauseofyourpaper’sheadings,thenyoushouldgotoatleastfourinches(ormore)onathirdpieceofpaper.Usethefollowingformat:

• Doublespace• Indentyourparagraphs• TimesNewRoman,CalibriorArialfont–size12• 1inchmarginsallaround• Citeyoursourceswithinthebodyofyourparagraphs–useaoneortwowordcitein

parenthesis,typicallythefirstwordfromyourWorksCitedpageforthatreference.Doagoodjobhereandyou’llbefinishedwiththissectionofyourpaper.☺

Submittwofullpagesontheresearchyouhavecompletedaboutotherscientistsandtheirworkintheareaofyourproject.

13

FormalSubmissionofExperimentDesignYouwillhavereceivednotesbackfrommeonthefirstdraftofyourexperimentdesign.Youwillalsohavehadtimetoputalittlemorethoughtintotheprocessandstartgatheringyourmaterials.Forthisassignmentyouaretoformallywriteuptheprocedureforcompletingyourexperiment.Itmustcontainenoughdetailthatsomeoneelsecouldcomebehindyouandcompleteyourexperimentbasedsolelyonyourinstructions.Again,includebrandnamesandsizesifthatinformationisappropriate,alwaysusingmetricmeasurements.Givethereaderstep-by-stepinstructionsonsettingupandmaintainingtheexperiment.And,tellushowyouwillbekeepingtrackoftheresults.(IMPORTANT,ifyouarecopyingtheinstructionsfromapre-designedexperimentbesuretomakechangesthatwillmaketheexperimentlineupwithexactlywhatyouaredoing.)Includeforms,chartsorsketchesiftheyareappropriateforyourdesign.Beclearabouthowyouwillcontrolallthefactorssothatyouareonlytestingthevariable(s)youwanttotest.

ExperimentationGotowork!NOWthatyouhaveworkedthroughthedesignprocesses,it’stimetostarttheactualexperimentation.You’llbetoldthisinclass,butdon’tgetantsyandstartearlyasyoumayhavetototallyredoyourexperimentbasedonanychangeswemakeduringtheprocess.(Yes–thishashappenedtostudentsinthepast.)But,ifyouhavesuccessfullyworkedthroughalltheprevioussteps,youarereadytogetstartedwiththeexperiment.Youwillbegivenseveralweeksforthispart–butdon’tprocrastinate.Evenifyourexperimentisdesignedtobecompletedallinoneday–don’tmakeitthedaybeforetheworkisdue.Somethingunexpectedcouldhappenandyou’llneedtheadditionaltimetomakecorrections.Important–evenifyourexperimentdoesnotturnouthowyouexpectedittodoesnotmeanthattheprojectisafailure.WhathappensifyouplantabunchofseedsandNONEofthemgrow?Or,whatifyouexpectedmoldtogrowonyourstalebreadbutsomethingunknownateitinstead?Remember,repeatyourexperimenttoseeifyoucontinuetogetthesame(oraboutthesame)results.Themoretimesyourepeattheprocess,themoreaccurateyourresults.And–ifitstilldoesn’tworklikeyouexpectedthenanalyzethat.Yourconclusionwillbeananalysisaboutwhyyourexperimentturnedoutdifferentlythananticipated.Keepgoodrecordsofyourresults.Recordthedate,measurements,times,whateverisappropriateforyourtest.Ifpossible,alsotakepicturesasyougo.Ifyouaretestingpeople’sreactions(tastetests,etc.),itisnotnecessarytorecordtheirnames.Onlyrecordfactorsthatarepertinenttoyourtestsuchasgender,agerange,haircolor,ordominanthand–youknowincaseyou’rewantingtotestwhetherleft-handedboyscanthrowaballfartherthanright-handedboys.

14

IntroductoryParagraph

Iknowthisseemsalittlebackwardstojustnowbewritingtheintroductoryparagraph–butyou’venowspentlotsoftimewithyourexperimentandyouhaveabetterideaofhowtointroduceittoyourreader.Thisparagraphisyourhook.It’swhatwillenticethereadertodelveintoyourpaper.Don’tjuststartoffwithavaguestatementlike“Didyoueverwonderabout….”Or“Thispaperisabout….”E-how.comgivesthisadvice:

• Writedownthemostinterestingthingsaboutyouressay.Istheresomethingsurprisinginwhatyouhavewritten?Doesaspecificimagecometomind?

• Explainthemostinterestingaspectofyouressaytosomeoneelse.Ifyou'restuck,trycompletingthesesentences:

o WhenIwasthinkingaboutthis,Icouldn'tbelievethat______.o Itwasamazingtomethat________.o Imaginewhatit'sliketo_______.o TheimageIcan'tgetoutofmyheadis______.

• Determinetheaspectofyouressaythatwouldbethemostinterestingandcompellingtosomeonewhohasnoideawhatyouaregoingtosay.

• Writethis"mostinteresting"factorimageinasentenceortwo.Refineit.Readitoutloud.Itshouldmatchthetoneoftherestofyouressay.(E-howHook)

Givemeatleastfourorfivegoodsentencesthatwillexciteyourreaderaboutyourpaper.Donotgivedetailshereaboutyourexperimentorresearch–onlyhints.

Submittheformalwrite-upofyourexperimentationprocess.Thiscanstillbetweakedasyouworkthroughyourexperimentbutbeasdetailedandasaccurateaspossible.And,beginworkingathomeonyourexperiment,trackingresultsasyougo.

Submitawellwrittenparagraphintroducingyourproject.Hookyourreader.

15

ExperimentResults

Hopefullybynowyouhavecompletedthemajorityofyourexperimentationandarerecordingtheresults.Youwillsubmittheresultsintwoways:(1)rawdataand(2)interpretationofyourdata.

Fornow,we’llfocusontherawdataorsimplythebasicresultsofyourexperiment.Forexample,howmanychoseCokeandhowmanypeoplechosePepsi?Or,howlongdidtheDuracellbatterylastandhowlongdidtheEvereadybatterylast?Submittheresultsforeverytestthatyoucompleted.Ifpossible,submitalltheinformation.Forexampleifyoutested5Duracellbatteriesand5Evereadybatteries,tellushowlongeachindividualbatterylasted.However,ifyouasked100peoplewhethertheypreferredCokeorPepsi,ratherthanlist100responses,givethetotalnumberwhochoseCokeandthetotalnumberwhochosePepsi(alongwithwhateverotherdetailsyouaddedtomakeitmoreinteresting).

Inadditiontorawdata,giveussomethingtovisuallyunderstandtheresults.Thisisbestdonewithsometypeofchart.Forexampleabarchart,piechart,linegraphorevenaVenndiagramwillaidthereader’sunderstandingofyourexperimentresults.Justbesuretolabelitwellsothatthereaderknowsexactlywhateachsectionofthechartstandsfor.Itmightbeagoodideatotryandputyourdataintoseveraltypesofchartstodeterminewhichonereallydoesthebestjobwithyourdata.

Submityourdatatodateandifyou’reready,goaheadanddesignacharttohelpexplainyourdata.Bytheway–thischartwillalsobegoingonyourbackboard.

16

FinalExperimentResultsandInterpretationBynowyoushouldhavecompletelyfinishedallofyourexperimentationandobtainedmultiplesetsofdatatoworkwith.Allofthisinformationneedstofitneatlyintoyourfinalpaper.Followtheguidelinespreviouslygivenforreportingyourdataandputtingitintochartformat.Youarenowreadyforthesecondpartofthissection–interpretingyourdata.Thissectionofyourpaperwillbeentitled“ConclusionsandRealLifeApplication”Saythatoutofyourtenbatterytests,allfiveEvereadybatterieslastedlongerthanallfiveDuracells.ThoseareprettyclearresultsandyoucansaythatEvereadybatteriesarelongerlastingthanDuracell.But,whatifinthreetestsDuracelldidbetterandintwotestsEvereadywonout?And,whatifEvereadylastedtwiceaslongasDuracellinthosetwotestswhileDuracellonlylastedtenminuteslongerintheteststhattheywon–nowhowdoyouinterpretthoseresults?Ifyoucandeterminesomeotherfactorhadaneffect–reevaluatehowyouranyourexperiment.Iftherewasnootherfactor,thentherearenocleardifferencesinbatterybrands.Also,ininterpretingscientificresults,youshouldnotusephraseslike“betterthan/worsethan”or“more/less”.Youneedtobespecific.Forexample,ratherthansaying“Wateringplantswithcoffeemakesplantsgrowmorethanwateringplantswithplainwater,”youwouldsay:“Wateringplantswithcoffeeresultsinanaveragegrowthofthreemorecentimetersperweekthanwateringplantswithplainwater.”Aspartofthissection,telluswhetheryourhypothesiswascorrect.Didyougettheresultsyouoriginallyexpected?Whyorwhynot?And,finally,tellushowwecanuseyourresultsinreallife.Thisshouldtakeatleasttwoparagraphs.Longerwouldbeevenbetter.

Submityourfinalexperimentresultswithchartsandgraphs.Alsowriteyourconclusionandwhetheryourhypothesiswascorrect.Finallyaddatleasttwoparagraphstellinghowyourresultscanbeusedinreallife.

17

ScienceProjectPaperIfyou’rereadingthis,you’realmosthome!It’stimetobeginassemblingalltheworkyouhavedoneintoyourfinalpaper.Gatherupeverythingyou’vedonesofarandfollowtheguidelinesbelowtocompleteyourproject.Therewillbesectionsthatyouhavenotdoneyet,buttheyarerelativelysimple–justdothemasyougo.LayoutRequirements:

! Doublespace,indentyourparagraphs! Donotputanextraspacebetweenyourparagraphs! Labeleachsectionwithaboldheadline! TimesNewRoman,ArialorCalibrifont–size12! 1inchmarginsallaround! Numberyourpages(notnecessaryonthetitlepage,butitcountsaspage1)! Citeyoursourcesintheresearchsection–useaoneortwowordciteinparenthesis,typicallythefirstwordfromyourWorksCitedpageforthatreference.SeetheinformationonwritingyourWorksCitedpage(separatepage).

Yourpapershouldcontainthefollowingsections:# Titlepage–Comeupwithatitleforyourwork–thiswillappearonyourbackboardaswell.The

titleshouldbeboldcenteredtowardsthetopofthepage–largerfontokayhere.Onthebottomhalfofthepage,centeryourfullname,thedatedue,andyourclass–ex.PEPBiology.

# TableofContentspage–tellingwhichpageeachofthefollowingsectionsbegins.# Thebodyofyourpapershouldflow–donotchangepageseachtimeyoustartanewsection.The

headingswillbeusedasseparators.Yourbodyshouldcontainthesesections:# Introduction(atleasttwoparagraphs)–thisisyourhookandthebasicintroductionexplaining

yourproject.Itwillincludewhyyouchosetheprojectandwhatyouwillbetesting.# Hypothesis–(oneparagraph)# Acknowledgements(oneparagraph)–acknowledgeanypeoplewhohelpedyouinyourproject.

Thiswon’tbeanypersonyouexperimentedon–thiswillbeanyadditionalpeoplewhohelpedyouwithyourprojects(Hint:whopaidforthematerials?)

# Research(twoormorepages)–thisisallthatworkyoudidinthebeginning.Copyithere–beingdoublesurethatyouhavecitedallsources.

# Materials(list)–beveryspecific.Includebrandnames,sizes,weightsorvolumes,quantity,etc.(metric).Ifyoubuiltanything,includetheprocedureforconstruction.Youmayinsertpicturesordiagramshere(notofyourexperiment–onlyofdevicesyoumayhaveused).Ifyouusedaquestionnaireinyourexperiment,showacopyofithere.‘Box’theminsothatitisclearwheretheystopandstart.

# Experimentprocedure–asimpleandcompletelistofthestepsyouused.Someoneshouldbeabletotakeyourmaterialslistandyourproceduressectionandcompletelyduplicatewhatyoudid.Don’tleaveanythingout.

18

# DataandResults(threeorfourpages)–startbyshowingyourdata,explainwhatitallmeansandendwithanygraphsorchartsthatmakeiteasiertointerprettheresults.Thissectionwillbeacombinationofwritingandcharts.Again,picturesanddiagramswillgowellhere.Caution:donotmakethegraphicshuge–justlargeenoughtobereadable.Makesuretheyarewelllabeled.Weshouldunderstandwhateverythinginyourchartsorgraphsmean.

# ConclusionsandApplication(atleastthreeparagraphs–maybemore)–whatcanyouinterpretfromyourresults?Didyouhaveacorrecthypothesis?Whyorwhynot?Howcansomeoneusetheseresultsinreallife?

# WorksCited(thisisaseparatepage)–seetheBedfordHandbookorWriters,Inc.forinstructionsoncompletingthisaccurately.Or,youcanfindMLAguidelinesonlineatTheOWLatPerdue.

# PROOFREAD!!Havesomeoneelseproofread!!PROOFREAD!!Besurethatyourpaperflowswell

andthatsomeonewhoisnotfamiliarwithscienceorwithyourprojectcanunderstandwhatyouhavewritten.

Congratulations–youhavedonealotofworkandhereiswhereitshines!

Itisimportantthatyousubmityourfirstdraftonthedayitisdue.Iwillbedoingonelastread-throughandaddingnotesovertheThanksgivingholidaysothatIcanreturnthepapertoyouforcompletionassoonaswereturntoclass.Afterthat,youwillonlyhaveoneweektoturnaroundthefinalcopy.Pleasedonote-mailittome.Ineedthehardcopy.

19

ScienceProjectBackboardThebackboardisusedtogiveavisualoverviewofyourproject.Mostpeoplewon’tbereadingyourpaper–theywillbelookingatyourbackboard,soitwillneedtotellthewholestory.YoushouldreadthebackboardfromlefttorightUseathree-paneledbackboardanddivideitasfollows:

TITLEOFYOURPROJECT

Problem

Hypothesis

Procedures

Abstract

Photos/Drawings

Graphs/Charts

Tables

Usewhatworksbestforyourprojectonthispanel.Justbesurethateverythingiswell

labeled.

Results

Conclusions

Real-LifeApplications

Note:photosshouldbeoftheproject–notofyou.Youwillrepeatinformationfromyourpaperonthebackboard,butpleasedon’tjustcutoutandpasteyourresearchpapertotheboard.Getcreative!!Noteverydetailfromyourpaperneedstobeincludedhere–justenoughtogivethereadergoodinformationonyourproject.Makepeoplewanttoreadit!Italsoneedstobereadfromfartheraway–soenlargefontsifyou’reprintingfromyourcomputer.YournameisonlytoappearonyourbackboardintheAbstract.Seethenextpagefordetailsonwritingthis.Resistthetemptationtoaskyourparentsforhelphere.Youcan,ofcourse,askquestionsandgethelpwithlogisticsandsupplies–butthisshouldreflectyourabilities.☺

20

ScienceProjectAbstract

BiologyStudentsarerequiredtoincludeanabstractontheirscienceprojectbackboard.Itistobeplacedinthelowerleftcorner.AnAbstractisawrittensummaryofyourproject.Itshouldbeamaximumof250wordsandshouldincludethefollowinginformation.Donotbreakitintosections.Oneortwoparagraphsaremorethansufficient.12-pointfont,single-spaced.! Heading(followtheexamplebelow)! Introduction,includingpurposeoftheexperiment! ProblemStatement! Procedures! Results! ConclusionsSampleAbstracttakenfromScienceBuddies.org

FYI–thisabstractcontains164words

Abstract Title of Your Project Last Name, First Name PEP Biology 2021-22 --------------------------------------- Advertisers are always touting more powerful and longer lasting batteries, but which batteries really do last longer, and is battery life impacted by the speed of the current drain? This projects looks at which AA battery maintains its voltage for the longest period of time in low, medium, and high current drain devices. The batteries were tested in a CD player (low drain device), a flashlight (medium drain device), and a camera flash (high drain device) by measuring the battery voltage (dependent variable) at different time intervals (independent variable) for each of the battery types in each of the devices. My hypothesis was that Energizer would last the longest in all of the devices tested. The experimental results supported my hypothesis by showing that the Energizer performs with increasing superiority, the higher the current drain of the device. The experiment also showed that the heavy-duty non-alkaline batteries do not maintain their voltage as long as either alkaline battery at any level of current drain.

21

SCIENCEPROJECT–FINALGRADINGSHEET

FinalPaper: PointsPossible PointsEarnedResearch:ThoroughClearlypresented

30

CitedatleastfoursourcesWorksCitedpageaccurate 10

Experiment:PlannedwellRepeatedsufficientlyAdjustmentsmadeifneededScientificprocessfollowed

40

Results:Datapresentedwell(readableandunderstandable)Goodinterpretationofresults

10

RealLifeApplication 5 Paperformattedcorrectly 5 TOTAL 100 Presentation: PointsPossible PointsEarnedPresentationGoodeyecontactwithyouraudienceOrganized,sequentialpresentationThorough

20

ExhibitAttractive,neatandbalancedLabeledwellEasilyunderstoodbytheaverageperson

20

KnowledgeAbletoanswerquestionswell 10

TOTAL 50

22

WorksCited

Berry,Hillary,ScienceFairProjectNotebookc.2004Manyideasandconceptsfoundinthispacketwere

takenfromtheScienceFairProjectNotebookdesignedbyHillaryBerryoftheWestgateCo-op,Jacksonville,FL.

Novak,Melanie."HowtoWriteaHookforanEssay."EHow.DemandMedia,26June2009.Web.16

Aug.2012.<http://www.ehow.com/how_5127257_write-hook-essay.html>."ScienceFairProjectAbstract."HowtoWritea.N.p.,n.d.Web.17Aug.2012.

<http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_abstract.shtml>."WelcometothePurdueOWL."PurdueOWL.N.p.,n.d.Web.16Aug.2012.

<http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/>.